Katherine Merchant Snyder (born 1970) is an American politician serving as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

since 2019. Prior to her election as mayor, she served as executive director of the Portland Education Foundation, a non-profit which raised funds for Portland Public Schools. Snyder also served on the Portland Board of Education from 2007-2013, including time as chair. From 2009 to 2011, Snyder served as an Executive Director of the

Maine Department of Corrections The Maine Department of Corrections is a state agency of Maine that is responsible for the direction and general administrative supervision, guidance and planning of both adult and juvenile correctional facilities and programs within the state. T ...

. In the 2019 Portland, Maine mayoral election. Snyder defeated incumbent Ethan Strimling and two other challengers, winning each of the city's 12 districts and earning 62% of the overall vote.

Campaign

During her campaign for mayor, Snyder emphasized her skills as a collaborative leader and consensus builder, someone focused on putting public service ahead of personal ambition. On October 17, 2019, she received the endorsement of the

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

, which pointed to what they described as her record of fiscal responsibility and strong communication while serving on the School Board during the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

and underscored the need for change in Portland city leadership, which had been characterized by ongoing tension between the sitting mayor, city councilors, and the City Manager. She was viewed as an ally of city manager

Jon Jennings Jon Paul Jennings (born October 2, 1962) is an American politician and basketball coach currently serving as city manager of Clearwater, Florida. He was formerly the city manager of Portland, Maine, as well as the founder, president, and general m ...

, "whose vocal opposition to Strimling's re-election all but functioned as an endorsement of his most competitive challengers." Among her policies, she opposed a $15 municipal minimum wage, supported the elimination of fares "for the city's METRO bus system for middle-and high school students," and sought to give long-term leases of city property to housing developers committed to building affordable housing.

Mayor

When former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg campaigned in Portland in January 2020 during the 2020 Democratic primary, Snyder was among those he spoke with during a campaign stop at Becky's Diner. It was unclear whether this meeting was an official endorsement. In June 2020 Portland

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

activists released demands after days of protesting including the dismissal of city manager

, to which Snyder responded by declaring "The city manager has my full support." In June 2020 Snyder sought permission from the city council to allow private citizens to paint a Black Lives Matter mural in front of Portland City Hall. In September, Snyder appointed 13 members to a Racial Equity Steering Committee. In January 2021, after many Portland residents received threatening, homophobic letters, Snyder joined the city council in urging residents to fly the

Pride flag A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBT community. ''Pride'' in this case refers to the notion of gay pride. The terms ''LGBT flag'' and ''queer flag'' are often used interchangeably. The rainbow flag is the most ...

Personal life

Snyder earned her B.A. from

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...

in New York and a M.A. in Public Policy & Management from the Muskie School at the

University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universit ...

as well as a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Applied Research and Evaluation Methods. She is married, lives in the city's Oakdale neighborhood, and has 3 children who were educated in the Portland Public Schools system.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Kate 1970 births American nonprofit executives Living people Maine Democrats Mayors of Portland, Maine Portland, Maine School Board members Skidmore College alumni University of Southern Maine alumni Women mayors of places in Maine 21st-century American women